- Season 4
- Episode 8
- Architecture, Construction, Practice
How to unlock the mind to produce better designs, faster? Võ Trọng Nghĩa explores this question, revealing a philosophy where meditation is the key to healing ourselves and saving the planet.
Explore the reality of greenery in architecture — pragmatic sustainability or mere aesthetics? Leonard Ng navigates the fine line, urging honesty in distinguishing between environmental impact and visual appeal in our urban landscapes.
Leonard is an award-winning landscape architect and the Country Market Director, APAC, at Henning Larsen’s Singapore studio. He seeks to establish a harmonious balance between urban environments, people, and nature for more sustainable cities.
In this episode, he discusses various ways to integrate greenery with built form, as well as the associated benefits and pitfalls. Reflecting on his experience in Singapore, he urges us to consider what integrated greenery can and should achieve.
00:03:50 | “We need to be honest about why we are doing green walls and vertical greenery […] It is OK to do green walls or vertical greenery for aesthetic, purely aesthetic reasons, but you must be honest with yourself.” |
00:04:24 | Why integrate greenery, and for when? |
00:07:13 | “If your start point is how do I achieve certain KPIs, be it to improve biodiversity or to reduce the temperature on the surface of the concrete slab, then the solutions become a lot more specific.” |
00:17:30 | “I’m not actually designing for the moment it opens. I’m designing for 10 years hence or 15 years hence when then the trees and the plants and the ecosystem have matured and found a balance.” |
00:18:00 | Weighing up costs and benefits |
00:18:22 | “If it is done in a sensitive manner and in a manner that takes into consideration the needs and the user groups, the benefits more than outweigh the cost.” |
00:21:24 | “I don’t believe that public money should be used to subsidise private developments. I believe private developments have their own justifications to why they should incorporate greenery.” |
00:27:29 | “The failures we see are a misalignment of the wishes versus the commitment to future resources.” |
00:38:14 | Developing a process for holistic outcomes |
00:38:38 | “The most successful designs are the ones that allow input from everybody on the table and involve everybody at the start.” |
00:43:23 | “Designing vertical greenery is really about designing life support systems for plants […] What is it that’s required to keep this thing alive?” |
00:48:39 | Professional journey |
00:50:26 | “I couldn’t afford the time to become a qualified architect, so I chose the next best thing, which was a landscape architect.” |
Vertical green facades have become increasingly popular in urban environments over recent decades. Leonard Ng attributes their emergence to good intentions, such as counteracting the diminishing presence of nature as cities develop and expand. But do they make development more sustainable?
The application of landscape on, in, and around buildings often prioritises aesthetic appeal over its potential to achieve more fundamental purposes. Its benefits, suggest Leonard, can go far beyond cosmetic enhancement.
Leonard practises in tropical Singapore where the profusion of greenery on buildings is not only supported by the climate, but also by regulations. He delineates two primary methods for integrating greenery with buildings: applying vegetation to walls and roofs; and modulating built forms with spaces in which plants can be experienced as gardens.
The question is: What do we need such greenery to achieve? Beyond appearances, Leonard suggests we consider the potential performance of integrated vegetation and its capacity to contribute to sustainability goals.
He identifies various key performance indicators (KPIs) that will help with evaluating decisions at the drawing board.
The mitigating effect of greenery upon heat gain in buildings is a clear and easily measurable example of its performative potential. Other KPIs include greenery’s potential to attract biodiversity, enhance the wellness of people, provide a means for managing water, and improve the recreational appeal of spaces.
Leonard cites Kampung Admiralty, a prototypical public housing project for seniors in Singapore, as an example of the seamless integration of landscape, water, and architecture within a high-rise structure.
Leonard led the landscape design for this project. The roofscape has been transformed into a community recreation space and farm with staggered terraces covered in local plants.
A stormwater management system collects, cleans, and reuses water for irrigation, contributing to water conservation efforts. Furthermore, the therapeutic benefits of proximity to nature and an environment for exercise enhance the overall quality of life for occupants.
Clearly, there are many possible benefits to bringing plants and buildings together. Leonard also acknowledges the challenges, including the cost of installation and the potentially unforeseen costs of ongoing maintenance.
Another flip side is the increased infiltration of so-called pests into our spaces. He suggests a shift in mindset towards cohabitation rather than eradication.
Similarly, he advocates consciousness of the naturally evolving character of natural systems. Landscape, as he explains, is a dynamic entity that ebbs and flows as the seasons change. A green wall will never be an unchanging backdrop, and expectations about appearance should be managed accordingly.
Integrated greenery can achieve impressive outcomes, but it’s crucial to think beyond the cosmetic and set realistic goals about what is feasible in your context. Leonard encourages interdisciplinary collaboration within the project team from inception as a key ingredient of holistic, sustainable outcomes.
By striking a balance between the buildings and natural ecosystems, designers can help to mitigate the impacts of climate change while benefiting both people and planet.
This episode is brought to you by:
The Holcim Foundation for Sustainable Construction The Holcim Foundation helps drive systemic change towards a more sustainable built environment. It was founded in 2003 to define and promote the key principles of sustainability for the construction sector and is committed to accelerating the sector’s transformation so that people and the planet can thrive. The Foundation has investigated various aspects of sustainable construction via a series of roundtables and conferences with international experts. It has also recognised excellent contributions to this field with the Holcim Awards which are considered the world’s most significant competition for sustainable design. Committed to a holistic approach that recognises the equal importance and interdependence of four key goals, the Foundation combines the collective knowledge, ideas, and solutions of our global community of experts with a recognised platform of international competitions to democratise thought leadership for the entire sector. |
This episode is brought to you by:
The Holcim Foundation for Sustainable Construction
The Holcim Foundation helps drive systemic change towards a more sustainable built environment. It was founded in 2003 to define and promote the key principles of sustainability for the construction sector and is committed to accelerating the sector’s transformation so that people and the planet can thrive.
The Foundation has investigated various aspects of sustainable construction via a series of roundtables and conferences with international experts. It has also recognised excellent contributions to this field with the Holcim Awards which are considered the world’s most significant competition for sustainable design.
Committed to a holistic approach that recognises the equal importance and interdependence of four key goals, the Foundation combines the collective knowledge, ideas, and solutions of our global community of experts with a recognised platform of international competitions to democratise thought leadership for the entire sector.
Leonard Ng joined Henning Larsen (formerly Atelier Dreiseitl) in 2008, where he co-spearheaded the establishment of the Singapore office and was subsequently appointed Partner in 2016. In 2023, he was conferred the President*s Design Award ‘Designer of the Year’, the highest honour across all design disciplines in Singapore.
Leonard’s academic background and design interest lay at the juncture between human and environment with the aim of finding a long-term sustainable balance between them.
His approach involves extensive collaboration with diverse professions to foment holistic landscape-based solutions that engage and educate users while respecting the environment. His recent works integrate the water found on site with the surrounding urban development in a sensitive manner, and are winners at eminent awards programmes such as the international World Architecture Festival awards and the President*s Design Award in Singapore.
E | leonard.ng@henninglarsen.com
W | Henning Larsen
If you heard it in this episode, we likely have a link for it right here. Click on any topics, people, buildings, places, products and/or technologies listed below to learn more about each of them.
00:05:29 | “…Green replacement is a big topic…” “Landscaping for Urban Spaces and High-Rises (LUSH)” [Video] | Urban Redevelopment Authority |
00:06:20 | “…some of these awards like Green Mark awards try to…” “Green Mark Certification Scheme” | Building and Construction Authority |
00:09:02 | “…the biophilic aspect of what greenery does…” “Biophilic design: What is it? Why it matters? And how do we use it?” | Building Design+Construction |
00:09:29 | “…why not have beautiful green terrace skyrise greenery…” “What is Skyrise Greenery?” | Skyrise Greenery |
00:39:57 | “…I was recently just part of a jury for The Oberlander Prize…” “The Oberlander Prize” | The Cultural Landscape Foundation |
00:51:07 | “…I was at two President*s Design Awards and in countless other…” President*s Design Award |
00:25:28 | “…When Patrick Blanc first came out…” VERTICAL GARDEN PATRICK BLANC |
00:35:37 | “…I am reminded of a project by Rahul Mehrotra, who we…” “Rahul Mehrotra, Harvard University Graduate School of Design: The kinetic city” | Ecogradia |
00:08:06 | “…in our project in Kampung Admiralty, we had…” “Kampung Admiralty” | Henning Larsen |
00:12:05 | “…to do in Singapore because we are tropical…” “Singapore” | Britannica |
00:14:49 | “…this project called Paradise Park Children Centre in Islington, London…” “The Paradise Park fallout: Are living walls worth it?” | Architect’s Journal |
00:14:49 | “…this project called Paradise Park Children Centre in Islington, London…” “Islington” (London, United Kingdom) | Britannica |
00:14:49 | “…this project called Paradise Park Children Centre in Islington, London…” “London” (United Kingdom) | Britannica |
00:19:34 | “…that is close to us is Bishan Park, something we have…” “Bishan Ang Mo Kio Park & Kallang River” | Henning Larsen |
00:24:09 | “…translates to other parts of Asia or other parts…” “Asia” | Britannica |
00:31:01 | “…creepers very much like Oasia…” “Oasia Hotel Downtown” | WOHA |
00:32:47 | “…to say social housing or a place like India…” “India” | Britannica |
00:35:46 | “…an office building in Hyderabad in India…” “Hyderabad” (Telangana, India) | Britannica |
00:35:49 | “…It’s called the KMC Corporate Office…” “KMC Corporate Office” | RMA Architects |
00:03:52 | “…about why we are doing green walls and…” “An Architect’s Guide To: Green Walls” | Architizer |
There are no products and technologies mentioned in this episode.
Host
Nirmal Kishnani
Producer
Maxime Flores
Editor-at-large
Narelle Yabuka
Managing editor
Kruti Choksi Kothari
Senior communications executive
Sana Gupta
Senior editor
Tyler Yeo
Art director (video)
Alexander Melck | Phlogiston
Sound technician and editor
Kelvin Brown | Phlogiston
Video editors
Guellor Muguruka | Phlogiston
Madelein Myburgh | Phlogiston
Graphic designer
Stian van Wyk | Phlogiston
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Contact us
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2 Shenton Way
#15–04, SGX Centre I
Singapore 068804
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